Hello and welcome to the Americano podcast.

I'm Kate Andrews, the Spectator's U.S. Deputy Editor, and your guest host of Americano this week while Freddie Gray is away.

Mine all, thanks so much for joining the Americano podcast.

I wouldn't miss it.

This is an extra strong shot of Americano today because you and I are both in New York right

now. You are spending a few months in Brooklyn. That's correct. That is my habit in the summer.

It's a bit perverse, but I love New York in the summer. I do too. I agree, though. It's not

a very popular opinion. Well, I think on this podcast, we're going to focus on Donald Trump's first six months of his second term. But seeing as you are in New York, I'm fascinated on your take about what's happening in the New York mayoral race. It does look like the self-proclaimed socialist, so Ron Mamdani, is going to be New York's next mayor come November, unless there is a massive upset.

Walking around Brooklyn, being in Manhattan, are you surprised that he won the Democratic nomination?

And what do you think New York is in for?

I guess in retrospect, I'm not that surprised now that I've talked to some of my friends and acquaintances, all of whom voted for him.

So, um, it's not good news for New York. It's, uh, it's a bad look. Uh, it's also a bad look for the Democratic Party, which already has a problem with

drifting towards socialism. Socialism doesn't have the same stink on it for younger Americans

as it does for anyone who followed the Soviet Union when there was one.

So I think that creates a serious political divide between generations.

And it just seems like, oh, it's about fairness.

Right.

Some of the worst atrocities in the world have been committed in the name of fairness.

And in general, the left is obsessed with the concept of equality as opposed to, you know, any other value.

That's their highest value. And it isn't the highest value. And in fact,

in a determination to achieve equality, you run roughshod over meritocracy, over a different kind of fairness.

Let's move on to the main event this week marks Donald Trump's first six months into his

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